Cheryl Rainfield's Blog, page 65
October 4, 2012
A post and a giveaway of SCARS and HUNTED for Nat’l Bullying Prevention Awareness Month
In honor of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month I wrote a post on bullying and the need for compassion on Amy Del Rosso’s blog, and if you head over there you can also enter into a giveaway for ebook copies of my novels SCARS and HUNTED, AND a hardcover copy of SCARS that Amy so generously provided, and some HUNTED swag. So head on over there to enter!
Here is what I wrote on bullying:
I was a timid, scared, shy kid. I was being abused and tortured at home, and it showed—in the way I walked (head down), talked (not often, and so quietly or so fast people usually couldn’t hear me), in the way I jumped at loud or sudden noises and flinched at touch. I also had the disadvantage of my abuser parents dressing me in second-hand clothing that looked second hand, haircuts that were done at home, and being so isolated by my abusers that I didn’t know what kids were talking about when they’d talk about singers or actors or popular fads. And all that drew bullies’ attention at school. I guess I looked like an easy target. Well, I was an easy target. Vulnerable, sensitive, shy, easily hurt, already traumatized.
In grade school I was shoved, hit, chased, punched, tripped, had things stolen from me or sometimes destroyed. But one of the hardest things, besides never fitting in, never having friends, was having others ignore me, or say mean things to me, put me down, laugh at me, exclude me from their groups. One group of girls pretended to be my friends one day, then ignore me or “hate” me the next. Those emotional wounds hurt deeply. Another thing that hurt deeply was having a few boys repeatedly come up to me and poke me, and then laugh loudly when I would jump and cower. And then do it all again. I couldn’t stop jumping or cowering—I couldn’t bear people touching me, especially when I didn’t want it and/or didn’t know that they would. Touch only meant pain or rape at home.
I felt a lot on anguish; I was in emotional pain most of the time—mostly from the abuse and torture I experienced at home, but the bullying intensified it all and made my life harder. It ensured that I had no safe place anywhere—not at school, and of course not at home.
I tried to lose myself in books, and to find friends in the pages. Books helped save me, gave me some comfort. They were safety and hope and healing. They were a refuge from my life.
I wish now that the adults watching had intervened when they saw the bullying happen. That the students had been taught compassion, kindness, and tolerance along with all their other subjects. How is how we act toward other people, how we treat them, any less important than geography or history? I wish schools had taught anti-bullying messages—but above all, compassion.
Make It RAINN Day – Supporting RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest Nat’l Network)
Today is Make It RAINN Day – a day to support RAINN – the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. I think we *need* organizations like RAINN to support survivors, get the word out that rape, abuse, and incest are not okay, and help educate people.
I support RAINN; a portion of all my proceeds for my novel SCARS go to RAINN (as well as a portion to the Toronto Rape Crisis Center).
I hope you’ll join me in letting people know about this important organization that makes a difference every day.
One easy way you can support RAINN is to “like” them on FaceBook. You can also post about them on FB, your blog, or tweet about them–and today would be a great way to do it!
October 2, 2012
Cheryl Rainfield on SCARS being challenged, and the need for “dark” books – for Banned Book Week
In the video below, I talk about Scars being challenged, why I wrote Scars, and the need for “dark” books – for Banned Book Week. I read banned and challenged books, and I hope you do, too!
Here are some of my favorite quotes about banning books and censorship:
“Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance.”
- Lyndon Baines Johnson
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. ”
- Joseph Brodsky
“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.”
- Benjamin Franklin
“Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.”
- Heinrich Heine
“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.”
- Voltaire
Do you have a favorite quote about banned books or censorship? How about a favorite banned or challenged book? Let me know! 
October 1, 2012
Love it! SCARS featured for Banned Books Week by Doug Solter
I love this! Doug Solter featured SCARS for Banned Books Week (Scars was challenged) with a photo of himself and SCARS. Thank you, Doug! (beaming)
September 30, 2012
September 26, 2012
Inverted Narrative Structure: A Writing Technique. Guest post by Camille Picott. And ebook giveaway
Today YA author Camille Picott talks to us about as aspect of writing technique–inverted narrative structure. I enjoy learning more about writing–I think there’s always more that we can learn and perfect in our craft.
As a bonus, if you leave a comment on this blog post (from today until next Wed) you’ll be entered to win an ebook copy of Camille Picott’s Sulan (in mobi or epub).
Inverted Narrative Structure – A Writing Technique
by Camille Picott
On my blog, I love to discuss the various writing techniques I find in the books I read. I thought today I would share one of my own writing techniques, which I use in Sulan, Episode 1: The League
. I call it the inverted narrative structure.
The inverted narrative structure looks like an upside-down triangle. It has three basic parts: 1) resolve an old problem, 2) introduce a new problem, 3) escalate the new problem.
I purposely chose the inverted narrative when structuring the chapters of Sulan. I like this method because I believe it lends itself well to a fast-paced novel. Each chapter ends on a mini cliff hanger that springboards the reader into the next chapter. The subsequent chapter resolves that cliff hanger—but by the time that chapter ends, a new cliff hanger is created. I enjoy reading books that employ this structure, such as The Hunger Games.
Many books use the classic narrative structure, which resembles a right-side-up pyramid. This structure also has three basic parts: 1) introduction of problem, 2) escalation of problem, 3) resolution of problem. Chapters employing the classic narrative structure will feel complete within themselves, and will generally not involve cliff hangers at the end. I like this structure as well, though I tend to reserve it for adult stories where a fast-paced narrative isn’t as important.
Thanks, Cheryl, for generously allowing me to write a guest post and share my YA book with your readers!
Thank you, Camille, for your post on inverted narrative structure!
September 25, 2012
5 of Richard Castle’s ebooks from TV show Castle are $1.99 today for Kindle
Love the TV show Castle with mystery writer Richard Castle, and detective Kate Beckett? (I do.) Five of Richard Castle’s ebooks are $1.99 today on Kindle.
September 24, 2012
YA writers – 2 publishers briefly accepting unagented manuscripts. Get your work in!
If you’re a YA writer and you don’t have an agent, you know it can be hard to get your work read by some of the publishers–the ones who don’t accept unagented queries.
Well, right now you’ve got a fantastic (if short) window of opportunity. Both Carolrhodo (Oct 1-31) and Harper Voyager (Oct 1-14) are temporarily accepting unagented manuscripts. If you have a completed, polished manuscript, I suggest you send it out to them! You don’t have anything to lose.
See the links to the posts for the details on both. Make sure you follow their submission guidelines. Good luck!
September 22, 2012
Cool library wallpaper
I love books–I think they’re beautiful, but of course I love reading them even more. I think this library wallpaper from andrewmartin.co.uk is so cool!
September 18, 2012
I share a bit about my letter to my teen self in Dear Teen Me in this video
I share a bit about my letter to my teen self in the new Dear Teen Me anthology from Zest Books.
It’s an honor to be included in this anthology, which has letters from many YA authors you know and love, including Ellen Hopkins, Sara Zarr, Carrie Jones, Lauren Oliver, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Melissa Walker, Mike Jung, Stephanie Kuehnert, Riley Carney, Tera Lynn Childs, and many, many more.
Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves releases Oct 30, 2012. I’ll talk about it more closer to when it releases.
